


Loitering with intent

by thegirl20



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/F, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-02
Updated: 2013-02-02
Packaged: 2017-11-27 21:38:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/666768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegirl20/pseuds/thegirl20
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Olivia and Alex attempt to have a relationship.  It's not without its mishaps.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Loitering with intent

A briefcase landed on her desk. Olivia looked up, half a sandwich dangling from her mouth, fingers paused over her keyboard. Alex Cabot was standing looking down at her, all blue-eyed determination, which was always an unsettling experience. Olivia tried to daintily bite, remove, chew and swallow the sandwich all at the same time. Alex patiently waited until she had stopped choking before she started to speak.  
  
“So, Olivia…how are you?”  
  
Olivia took a long drink from a bottle of water before answering.  
  
“Uh…fine?” She enquired, wondering if that was the correct response.  
  
“Good. So, look, I’m going to cut to the chase here. Are we going to address this thing between us?”  
  
Olivia’s mouth dropped open, she had definitely not expected that question from the ADA. She glanced around the office to see if anyone was listening. Everyone had mysteriously vanished when Alex arrived. Probably to avoid the usual ass-chewings she dealt out regarding lack of evidence, contravention of warrant limitations, perps strangely ending up with black eyes. Satisfied no-one had overheard Alex’s question, Olivia groped around for something to say in return.  
  
“This…uh…thing?”  
  
Not the most eloquent of replies, but it contained actual words and had the desired effect of making Alex start talking, meaning that Olivia could return to stunned silence.  
  
“I agree that isn’t the best way to describe it. Attraction? Chemistry? However you want to define it, it’s there and I think we need to do something about it.”  
  
Olivia decided that coherent sentences weren’t currently her strong point and went with repeating Alex’s words, adding an upward inflection.  
  
“Do…something?”  
  
“Yes. Going on a date would probably be the best way forward, don’t you think?”  
  
Olivia was sure she felt her head get lighter. She worried that perhaps her brain had fallen out of her ear. Then she realised that worrying about your brain falling out is probably a sign that you’ve still got one. Hers wasn’t being at all co-operative, however.  
  
“A…date?”  
  
Alex’s brow crinkled slightly, showing her confusion at the Detective’s unusual lack of verbosity. Never one to back away from a challenge, she persevered.  
  
“Yes, a date. Then we can see if there’s something beyond this intangible…and we’re back to that word…‘thing’. Because right now it’s affecting our work and I can’t have that.”  
  
That got Olivia’s brain back in gear. She shoved back her chair and stood so that she was on a level with Alex.  
  
“Now listen the hell up. Whatever ‘thing’ is going on here, it hasn’t affected my work one little bit and if you think you…”  
  
Alex held her hands up in supplication.  
  
“Sorry, I’ll rephrase: it’s affecting  _my_  work.”  
  
Olivia was taken aback at the confession from the, generally quite arrogant, lawyer. It took the wind out of her sails and the fight she’d been building towards died before it came to a head.  
  
“It is?”  
  
Alex nodded.  
  
“I have a certain reputation here, don’t I?”  
  
Olivia suddenly found the surface of her desk very interesting. She shrugged, trying to appear off-hand.  
  
“I…uh…not really…nothing I’ve heard of…”  
  
Alex smiled and leaned in conspiratorially.  
  
“Come on, Detective, you can tell me. I’m a big girl, I can take it.”  
  
Olivia looked back up, she couldn’t help the matching grin that spread over her lips in response to Alex’s.  
  
“Well, w…I mean, they, the guys…kinda think you’re a hard-ass bitch. And I’ve heard the term ‘ice-maiden’ being thrown around…a little.”  
  
“And why do they have this view of me?”  
  
“Because you’re always making u…them, go back and get more evidence and cover more bases so you’ve really got a case.”  
  
“So they think that I’m too tough on them?”  
  
“Kinda.”  
  
“So why is it that when you came to me last week and asked me to help out on a case that had no relevance to our department, I ended up infuriating Cragen, removing the child from her home and her, very famous, mother and standing up in court to fight the case?”  
  
Again, Olivia found herself surprised. She hadn’t given much thought to why Alex had agreed to take on the case when it wasn’t really up to SVU to deal with.  
  
“I …don’t…why  _did_  you take it on?”  
  
“Because you asked me to.”  
  
“Because I asked you to?”  
  
“Yes. Clearly I should have told you to refer the case, call child services in, whatever. I should not have been standing up arguing that case. But I did it because you were so passionate about it. So I need to know what’s going on between us so that I can get back to normal and not be swayed every time you and your big, brown eyes come knocking on my door.”  
  
Olivia blushed a little at Alex’s description of her eyes.  
  
“And going on a date with me is going to help this how?”  
  
“One step at a time, Olivia. We need to see what it is, if there’s anything in it, then we can adjust accordingly. So, what do you say?”  
  
Olivia stared mutely at Alex.  
  
“Obviously I’ve sprung this on you and you probably need time to process it. You have my number, so give me a call.”  
  
A quick nod of the head and Alex was gone, leaving Olivia wondering what had just happened to her.  
  
\---  
  
Elliot found her with her head in her hands.  
  
“Hey, Liv. Sorry I bailed on ya. Couldn’t deal with her bullshit right now.”  
  
He took in his partner’s slumped posture.  
  
“Hey…what’s up? Somethin’ happen?”  
  
Olivia looked up at him, a lopsided smile in place.  
  
“I just got asked out by a beautiful woman.”  
  
Elliot pulled out the seat across from Olivia and dropped into it, keen to hear more.  
  
“Not Brinkley again?”  
  
Olivia snorted.  
  
“I said a  _beautiful_  woman.”  
  
“Oh, you were being serious? I thought you were being sarcastic…did you hear that Brinkley got mistaken for Danny Devito again?”  
  
“That’s the third time.” Olivia confirmed.  
  
“So, who’s the mystery woman? And what did Cabot want?”  
  
Olivia looked at him pointedly. He stared back, waiting for her answer. Then his mouth dropped open.  
  
“No way. No fucking way.” Elliot looked around, lowering his voice before continuing. “Alex Cabot asked you out? No _way_!”  
  
“Thank you for your overwhelming confidence in my ability to attract someone who doesn’t resemble Danny Devito.”  
  
“No, hey, Liv…I didn’t mean it like that…I just…Alex Cabot? I didn’t think the woman did normal human stuff like dating.”  
  
“Elliot! Don’t talk about her like that. She’s…she’s not  _that_  weird.”  
  
“So when are you going out?”  
  
He leaned his elbows on the desk. She sucked in a breath through her teeth, her eyebrows going up slightly.  
  
“We…I didn’t…I’m supposed to call her when I’ve decided.”  
  
He regarded her in confusion.  
  
“So…she asked you out…and you  _didn’t_  say yes?”  
  
“It was so out of the blue!” Olivia defended. “I…I didn’t really say much…she was confusing me.”  
  
“Olivia, what the hell is there to be confused about? Someone like Alex Cabot asks you out, you fucking well say _yes_!” Elliot said, looking at Olivia like she was from another planet.  
  
“I thought you thought she was strange and cold and scary?”  
  
“And? She’s gorgeous! If she asked my  _wife_  out I’d tell her to say yes.”  
  
“How open-minded of you Elliot.”  
  
“So are you going to say yes? I mean, you are going to call her and say yes, right?” he asked, nodding his head.  
  
“I…I want to. Guess I’m scared. How lame is that?”   
  
Once again, Olivia’s head fell into her hands.  
  
“What would be lame is if you let that stop you. It’s OK to be scared. Hell, she scares the shit out of me too. But  _she_ asked  _you_. So she obviously wants you.”  
  
Her head came up, hands still over her face, one eye peeking through her fingers.  
  
“One date couldn’t hurt, right? Like she says…to see what’s there?”  
  
“Sure, can’t hurt. And she’s bound to take you somewhere classy. So you get a nice meal and some good wine out of it if nothing else. And you might get to cop a feel of an ADA!”  
  
“Good God, she’d have me up on a sexual-assault charge. You’d be subpoenaed as star witness.”  
  
“Woah! I get to witness the groping? Excellent!”  
  
She rolled her eyes.  
  
“Go away, Elliot.”  
  
“Nope, not till you call her.”  
  
“Like I’m going to call her with you listening.”  
  
“Well I’m not leaving till I know you’re not gonna to chicken out.”  
  
She sighed.  
  
“Fine. She’s in court this afternoon, I’ll call now and leave a message on her voicemail. Satisfied?”  
  
“Too scared to actually speak to her, huh.”  
  
“Completely.”  
  
“Fair enough.” He didn’t move from his position.  
  
“You’re still not getting to listen.”   
  
She stood up to emphasise her point, walking towards an empty office. He watched her go with a thoughtful expression on his face.  
  
“And stop picturing it or I’m calling Kathy.” Olivia tossed back over her shoulder.  
  
\---  
  
“Hey Alex, I’ve been thinking about what you said and I think we should do it. Not  _do it_. Like, not  _it_. I’m not saying we should have sex or…fucking hell!”  
  
Olivia swore, glad she hadn’t actually plucked up the courage to dial Alex’s number. She held the phone to her ear again, practising what she should say.  
  
“Alex, it’s Olivia. About earlier, I’d like to take you up on your offer. So how about Friday night, around eight?”  
  
Olivia nodded to herself. That seemed OK, simple enough and to the point. No room for ambiguity or making a fool of herself. While she was pressing the buttons to call Alex, she muttered another possibility.  
  
“Hey Alex, how about we skip the date and we move straight to me and you having the best sex of your life on top of your desk?”  
  
She chuckled to herself and held the phone up to her ear, this time hearing ringing. She held her breath, waiting for voice-mail to pick up.  
  
“Cabot.”  
  
Olivia’s brain froze. Alex had picked up the phone. That hadn’t been in her plan. Valiantly she tried to think of something to say. Hello would have been good. But it seemed she couldn’t even form that simple word with her mouth.  
  
“Olivia.” It wasn’t a question.  
  
“Uh…yeah.”  
  
“I liked the second one…but the third had its merits too.”  
  
It suddenly hit Olivia that she was hearing an echo. Alex’s voice was coming both from her phone and from behind her. She squeezed her eyes closed, as if to shut out the world. It did nothing to quiet the clicking of heels approaching her. She also heard a snap as Alex closed her phone. She sighed before turning around. Alex was smirking, but not unkindly.  
  
“I thought you were in court.”  
  
“Evidently.”  
  
“I was going to leave a message.”  
  
“So I heard. I’m glad it was in the affirmative. Friday at eight sounds good. I’ll get a cab to your place and we can go on from there.”  
  
Alex took another few steps towards Olivia, leaving only inches between them. She leaned in to whisper in Olivia’s ear.  
  
“And if all goes well, I look forward to what you, rather immodestly, offered in your third message.”  
  
She drew back, smiling before turning and leaving the room. Olivia watched her go, her heart thudding in her chest. She closed her eyes to remember how Alex smelled when she had whispered to her. When she opened them again she jumped slightly, because Alex was standing in the doorway again. She approached Olivia, more slowly this time, less confident.  
  
“I meant to…that is to say, when I was here before, I wanted to…”  
  
Olivia smiled at Alex’s hesitancy. Here was her chance to regain something of her ‘cool’ reputation. She closed the distance between them and claimed Alex’s lips with her own. The move was smooth and confident. Olivia’s hands went to Alex’s hips, gently bringing their bodies into closer contact.  
  
The kiss was brief, but intense. When their mouths parted, Olivia was heartened to see that the ADA was more than a little flustered. She did have normal, human reactions after all. Olivia decided to keep the upper-hand. She moved past Alex and walked to the door, strutting just a little, for effect. When she reached the door she turned as casually as she could.  
  
“So, I’ll see you on Friday at eight?”  
  
Alex was touching her lips, her eyes unfocused. She looked up at Olivia’s words.  
  
“Uh…yes, Friday.”  
  
Olivia smiled and walked away. Oh yes, Friday was definitely going to be fun.


	2. Rendezvous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friday arrives.

Olivia checked the clock. Again. It was seven twenty-five on Friday and Alex would be arriving to pick her up in thirty-five minutes. And she was in a blind panic. There were clothes strewn all over her bedroom. She had seen tidier murder scenes. And she couldn’t find a single outfit that would be suitable for a date. Before she started to hyper-ventilate, she decided she needed to make a phone-call.  
  
On the third ring the phone was picked up.  
  
“Stabler residence.”  
  
“Elliot, I’m cancelling. I can’t go.”  
  
“Shit, Liv! You can’t cancel now, it’s a half hour before the date starts!” Eliott yelled, before the rational part of his brain told him that Olivia was probably just panicking over nothing. “Why are you cancelling, anyway?”  
  
“I have nothing to wear,” she practically shrieked into the phone.  
  
“You sound like such a girl!” he teased.  
  
“I  _am_  a girl, jerk, a girl with nothing to wear and the hottest woman on the planet is arriving to take me on a date in half an hour and I can’t go naked, so I’m cancelling.” she finished petulantly, sitting down hard on her bed for emphasis.  
  
“Liv, you have a ton of clothes, pick something and put it on. Alex has seen you in your work gear, I’m sure she…can you hang on a sec?”  
  
“No I can’t, are you not getting the urgency of the situation? Elliot?”  
  
But he wasn’t there. Olivia heard muffled talking on the other end of the phone, Elliot had his hand over the receiver. Olivia’s bare foot was tapping nervously on the rug. Her eyes flicked to the clock again. Seven thirty-five. The foot started tapping faster.  
  
“Liv, Kathy wants to talk to you.”  
  
Elliot sounded like he’d just been yelled at. There were fumbling noises as he handed the phone to his wife and Olivia resisted the urge to scream in frustration.  
  
“Olivia, hey, it’s Kathy.”  
  
“Kathy, I’m cancelling.”  
  
“No, you’re not. Now, where are you going on your date?”  
  
“I don’t know! That’s the problem! I have no idea.”  
  
“Can’t you call and ask her?”  
  
“Well…that might’ve been an idea a couple of days ago, but if I call now it’ll look like I’m running around at the last minute panicking about what to wear.”  
  
“When obviously that isn’t the case,” Kathy stated, dryly.  
  
“Not helping!”  
  
“Right, do you have your make-up on?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Have you done your hair?”  
  
Olivia reached a hand up to touch her short locks, to make sure they were still under some kind of control.  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“OK, then here’s what you do. You put on your robe and your underwear and pick out two outfits; one casual, one dressy. When she comes to the door, you tell her you were running late, check out what she’s wearing, go to your room and put on the most appropriate of the two outfits.”  
  
Olivia thought about that for a few seconds.  
  
“That kinda makes sense.”  
  
“I have been known to makes sense occasionally.”  
  
Olivia was standing up, moving around and picking up possible outfits.  
  
“One day, when I have far more time than I do now, you’ll tell me how a woman who’s been married for 16 years knows how to get ready for a date.”  
  
“My single friends have become a whole lot more talkative since ‘Sex and the City’ started. They tell me things. I pretend like I made them up to impress you.”  
  
“Well, colour me impressed and I’m sorry but I’ll have to go. Tell your husband he’s useless.”  
  
“I will. Oh, and I hope you know that he’s going to be thinking about you all night, he keeps getting this faraway look on his face. Apparently your Alex is quite a looker.”  
  
“She is. That thing you just said about Elliot disturbs me a whole lot but I don’t have time for that right now so bye.”  
  
“Bye Liv, good luck!”  
  
Olivia hung up the phone and took a deep, shaky breath. Yep, she was going to need plenty of luck if she was to make it through the evening unscathed.  
  
\---  
  
Olivia’s buzzer went at 8pm exactly. She rolled her eyes, Alex would be the punctual type. She pressed the intercom.  
  
“Hey.”  
  
“Hey, it’s me.”  
  
Alex’s voice sounded even lower, huskier than normal over the old speaker system. Olivia closed her eyes and found her body reacting to the unique timbre, as it always did.  
  
“Olivia? Are you going to let me in?”  
  
Her eyes shot open. She didn’t miss the hint of amusement in Alex’s voice this time and wondered if the ADA knew the effect she had on her. Probably. Especially after the other day at the station house. Olivia cringed slightly before replying.  
  
“Sorry, yeah, come on up.”  
  
She buzzed Alex in and checked her appearance in the mirror. She looked OK. Not outwardly like a complete basket-case. Which was definitely a bonus. Three sharp raps on her door made her jump, OK so maybe a tiny amount of basket-case was showing through. She reached out and unlocked the door, taking a final deep breath before opening it and offering what she hoped was a casual smile.  
  
“Hey.”  
  
She was a bit disconcerted when Alex didn’t reply. In fact, Alex wasn’t even looking at her. Well, not her face anyway. The ADA’s gaze was drawn downwards, her mouth hanging slightly open. She looked, well, stupefied was the only word that Olivia could come up with.  
  
A slight breeze across her front made Olivia shiver. Her stomach dropped to her feet. The breeze had touched skin. She looked down and her worst fears were confirmed. When she had opened the door, her robe had somehow got caught on the lock and was completely open, revealing her scarlet underwear set to the world. Or, at least, to Alex.  
  
“Jesus Christ!”  
  
She abruptly turned around, pulling the robe closed around her, feeling her face flame with embarrassment. She heard Alex enter the apartment and close the door behind her. Olivia knew she had to turn back to face her at some point, but she wondered if she could delay it for…oh, a couple of hours or so?  
  
“Well, Detective, you certainly believe in laying your cards on the table.”  
  
Olivia grimaced. She was going to kill Kathy for suggesting this. Sighing deeply, and holding the robe tightly, she turned around.  
  
“Well, now that I’ve thoroughly embarrassed myself, can I interest you in a glass of wine?”  
  
Alex’s eyes seemed darker than usual, now that she was finally looking into them.  
  
“You didn’t embarrass yourself…I mean, you don’t have anything to be embarrassed of…nothing at…”  
  
Alex’s sentence trailed off as her eyes swept over Olivia’s body. Olivia noted that the usually unflappable lawyer was a little off-kilter, clearly affected by the event. Just like she had been when Olivia kissed her. She allowed herself a little smile as Alex realised what she was doing and snapped her focus back to Olivia’s face. She appeared to be trying to collect herself. She smiled tightly at Olivia.  
  
“I thought for a moment that you were going with message three.”  
  
Olivia smirked. Two could play at that game.  
  
“Well, you know, I would, but your desk is all the way across town.”  
  
Alex stepped closer to Olivia, her heels and Olivia’s bare feet giving her a distinct height advantage. She leaned in very close, her nose almost brushing Olivia’s. Olivia was frozen to the spot, mesmerized by the stormy grey of Alex’s eyes.  
  
“We don’t need a desk, Detective.”  
  
Then Alex’s lips were on hers in a heated kiss, firm and demanding. Olivia let go of the robe and let her arms go around Alex, drawing her nearer. Alex’s hand was on the back of Olivia’s neck, the other was sneaking inside the robe, a delicate caress that didn’t match the intensity of the kiss. A whisper of fingers across her hip, around to the small of her back, pulling her in.  
  
Alex broke the kiss, stepping away, leaving Olivia slightly dazed.  
  
“God, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”  
  
It took Olivia a few seconds to register that Alex was apologising.  
  
“No,  _I’m_  sorry. I was…”  
  
Alex held up a hand for silence.  
  
“Olivia, it wasn’t my intention to come here and have sex with you. I would like us to go out and talk and get to know each other before we get to that. I won’t have it said that my Detectives are easy.”  
  
They both smiled at that. Olivia nodded.  
  
“OK, just give me a sec to finish getting ready.”  
  
She was heading to her bedroom before she remembered that she was supposed to have looked at what Alex was wearing. Somehow, in the midst of the indecent exposure and the heavy petting, her outfit hadn’t registered. She turned back to surreptitiously check it out.  
  
“Sorry, did you say you wanted red or white wine?”  
  
Alex was wearing jeans and a baby-blue sweater under a suede jacket. Olivia shivered as she remembered the softness of it rubbing against her naked flesh.  
  
“I don’t believe I got as far as replying. I was a little distracted at the time. But red would be lovely, thank you.”  
  
Olivia nodded in the direction of the kitchen.  
  
“There’s a bottle opened in there, would you mind pouring it yourself? I don’t want to make us any later than we already are.”  
  
“No problem.”   
  
Alex headed to the kitchen and Olivia went to her room where she quickly got into a pair of jeans and a black sweater with a neckline that plunged just deep enough to show off her cleavage to its best advantage. Not that it really mattered now; Alex had seen pretty much all she had to offer. And she had seemed to enjoy it. Olivia smiled and then finished off the glass of wine she’d brought in earlier.   
  
She walked to the kitchen to find Alex with her head tipped back, drinking the last drops of wine from a glass. Olivia smirked.  
  
“Dutch courage, counsellor?”  
  
Alex looked at the label on the bottle.  
  
“Italian, actually.”  
  
“Cute. Shall we go?”  
  
“We shall.”  
  
Olivia let Alex out of the apartment and closed the door behind them, butterflies fluttering annoyingly in her stomach, reminding her of high school.  
  
\---  
  
A steady thud woke Olivia from a heavy slumber. At first she thought the thumping was only inside her head. She definitely had the beginnings of a spectacular headache. But the noise was too sharp, too real to be pain induced. She realised, dully, that someone was knocking at her door. She attempted to turn over only to find a strange weight preventing her from doing so. She jerked her body to dislodge it, with some success. The weight slipped away, landing with a soft ‘oof’.  
  
Olivia’s eyes sprang open. She found herself staring at her living room ceiling. She was lying on the couch, fully clothed, her mouth feeling like a small furry animal had taken up residence where her tongue used to be. Gingerly, she leaned over the side of the couch and saw Assistant District Attorney Cabot lying in a heap on her floor, blinking.  
  
The knocking started again and Olivia watched Alex wince, as if the sound hurt her head.   
  
“Morning.” Olivia croaked.  
  
Alex looked up in confusion and saw a face staring at her from above. She smiled.  
  
“How did we get here?”  
  
“I have no idea. Last thing I can remember is you singing karaoke in that bar…’Like a Virgin’ if I’m not mistaken.”  
  
Alex suddenly looked panicked.  
  
“Did we…?”  
  
Olivia shook her head.  
  
“I doubt it. We’re both still dressed and I don’t think either of us were in any fit state to do anything last night.”  
  
Alex breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
“Oh…good.”  
  
Olivia’s foggy brain didn’t know how to process that and she didn’t have the strength to stress about it so she tackled it head on.  
  
“Good? So…I take it last night gave you some clarity on our  _‘thing’_?”  
  
Alex looked up at her in confusion.  
  
“Clarity isn’t a word I would apply to last night. But as for the  _‘thing’_ , it’s definitely still there and probably stronger than before. And when I said ‘good’ before, I meant that when you and I have sex, I want to be able to remember it in the morning.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
It was all she could think of to say. But the warm blush heating her face spoke volumes. The banging on the door started up in earnest.  
  
“Who the _fuck_ is knocking on your door at this hour?” Alex shouted, the noise finally bringing her to breaking point.  
  
“Alex?” An excited voice travelled in from the other side of the door.  
  
“Elliot?” Alex whispered, looking at Olivia with wide eyes.  
  
Olivia threw herself back onto the couch, an arm over her face.  
  
“Hey Liv, I just stopped by with breakfast to see how your date went, but I guess it went well. So I’ll just leave this stuff here for you guys and you can fill me in later.”   
  
They heard him put something down, then his footsteps faded down the hallway.  
  
“You told Elliot that you were going on a date with me?”  
  
Olivia didn’t remove the arm from her eyes.  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“You know, he probably thinks we had sex.”  
  
“Probably.”  
  
“He’s probably picturing it right now.”  
  
“He’s  _definitely_  picturing it right now.”  
  
“Well, he did bring us breakfast, I suppose it’s only fair.”  
  
Olivia rolled over and looked down at Alex.  
  
“You’re not mad that I told him?”  
  
“He’s your friend, why would I be mad?”  
  
“Well…we both work with him…and it might have been awkward if this hadn’t worked out…”  
  
“Lucky it did then, isn’t it?”  
  
Olivia rolled off the couch and landed on top of Alex, bracing herself on her elbows she smiled down at her.  
  
“Yeah, I guess it is.”  
  
She leaned down for a chaste kiss. If her mouth smelled anything like it tasted she didn’t want to inflict it on Alex. Alex suddenly started giggling.   
  
“What is it?”  
  
“You have the worst case of bed-head I’ve ever seen, Benson. Every hair on your head is practically standing on end. I thought it was just because you were hanging upside down from the couch, but it is actually just like that!”  
  
“Oh, and I suppose your hair is perfect in the morning?”  
  
Alex shoved her off and sat up, shaking her head slightly. Every hair fell perfectly into place. Olivia sighed.  
  
“I hate you.”  
  
“No you don’t.”  
  
“No, I don’t. But because you laughed at my hair, you need to go and get the breakfast from the door.”  
  
Alex smiled  
  
“My pleasure.”   
  
She stood up and walked in the direction of the front door. Olivia lay back with her hands behind her head and watched her denim-clad ass as she went.  
  
“Oh no, counsellor, the pleasure is all mine.”


	3. Legal manoeuvrings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Olivia's sex life is proving problematic.

Olivia sat at her desk, smiling. Occasionally she would whistle snatches of a tune that sounded vaguely like an old Madonna number. Her colleagues were slightly unnerved by her mood. Not that she was normally a sourpuss, but there tended to be an underlying sadness that pervaded the detective’s demeanour. But for the previous few weeks, that seemed to have dissipated, replaced by a strange sense of contentment.  
  
Both Munch and Cragen had mentioned this to Elliot, in the passing. Being tough cops meant that they couldn’t just come out and ask Olivia why she seemed happier. That would have involved discussion of feelings and all sorts of other things that made them uncomfortable. So they settled for the easier route of asking her partner. Elliot had shrugged and told them not to jinx it, just to let her be. Munch had joked that Olivia must have a new man in her life, putting a smile on her face. Elliot had laughed nervously and claimed that he knew of no new man. Munch made a mental note to watch Olivia closely for any hint of what had caused this change in her.  
  
Olivia, for her part, was completely oblivious to the discussions on her state of mind and the status of her love-life. She _was_  content. For the first time in years she had something  _good_  outside of work, something to look forward to. Her smile grew wider as she thought of her burgeoning relationship with Alex. Things were going really well. It had been three weeks since their first date. Since then they had tried to spend as much time as possible getting to know each other. True to her word, Alex wanted to know Olivia as a person, not merely as someone to jump into bed with.  
  
A slight frown creased Olivia’s brow as she thought of the one stumbling block, they hadn’t actually managed to get to the jumping into bed stage yet. Thanks, in part, to their unpredictable and hectic schedules. Due to their initial overt flirting, Olivia had thought that they would have reached that stage earlier. They had tried, even come close on a couple of occasions. Walks in the park, holding hands, were interrupted. Evenings snuggling on Alex’s couch were interrupted. One particular occasion almost resulted in Olivia’s phone making a journey through Alex’s window when it rang just as the detective’s hands made contact with the soft skin of the ADA’s stomach.  
  
She sighed, happily. It was bound to happen eventually. She did hope that eventually would be soon. Very soon. Being around Alex had always affected her. The scent of her perfume, the sound of her heels, those glasses. But now, having been closer, it drove her wild to be with Alex and be unable to touch her. She hoped that once they’d had sex, this would lessen slightly. Her eyes widened as a thought occurred to her; what if it got worse? She shook her head. No, it couldn’t get any worse. Yes, the sooner they had sex, the better.  
  
As if on cue, just as Olivia was coming out of her rather pleasant daydream, a certain ADA entered the squad-room. As usual, all eyes naturally gravitated to the devastatingly attractive woman. Olivia felt a familiar warm sensation in her chest, knowing that none of them would receive the same private smile that she would. A pleasure which was delayed by Munch who stepped in front of her, halting her journey to Olivia’s desk.  
  
“ADA Cabot, here again so soon? People will talk.”  
  
“Is that so, Detective Munch? And what will people say?”  
  
“All this time hanging around the precinct? They might be inclined to believe that you’re having a torrid affair with one of New York’s finest.”  
  
Olivia watched Alex’s right eyebrow rise, the corner of her mouth twitching, ever so slightly.  
  
“As it so happens, I  _am_  here to take the best looking cop I can find to lunch.”  
  
Olivia smiled inwardly as every male in the room perked up, just a little, in the vain hope that it might, just might, be them. Even Elliot, who had to know where this was headed, looked like he had a tiny glimmer of hope in his eye, like he might be in with a chance. Alex allowed her eyes to do a slow sweep of the room before finally coming to rest of Olivia.  
  
“Detective Benson, would you do me the honour of accompanying me to lunch?”  
  
Olivia rolled her eyes at the whoops and wolf-whistles that followed Alex’s invitation.  
  
“We’re going to go over my testimony for the case, perverts,” she yelled, not removing her eyes from Alex’s smirking face.  
  
The noise level returned to a low murmur of activity as people went back to their work, content to have a pleasant visual to keep them going for the afternoon. Alex sat down in the seat across from Olivia, resting an elbow on Olivia’s desk. She smiled.  
  
“So,  _do_  you want to grab lunch, or have you eaten?”  
  
Olivia looked at her watch.  
  
“Well, I had half a donut at around seven-thirty this morning…so yeah, I could eat.”  
  
Alex made a move to rise, but then changed her mind and sat down again, leaning further across Olivia’s desk and lowering her voice a fraction.  
  
”Before I forget, I was thinking, we really should pencil in time to have sex soon.”  
  
Olivia stared blankly at her. A creeping sense of déjà vu coming over her.  
  
“I’m sorry, what did you just say?”  
  
“I said we should put aside some time to…”  
  
“Yeah, I heard what you said.”  
  
“And? I was going to suggest this Friday. This case should be wrapped up by then and you’re scheduled for Saturday off. I’m sure if you said to Cragen that you needed Friday evening undisturbed he would allow it. After all, how many times have they called you in out of hours?”  
  
Again, Olivia found herself staring at Alex, half in affection, half in horror.  
  
“Alex, maybe we should just…you know…let it happen naturally. Putting time aside to have sex seems a bit…overly structured for me.”  
  
Alex looked slightly miffed that Olivia hadn’t agreed to her suggestion.  
  
“Well, it certainly hasn’t ‘happened naturally’ so far, has it? I don’t think it’s out of the ordinary for two people with busy lives to arrange to have sex. We arrange to have dinner, don’t we?”  
  
That threw Olivia slightly, because she’d never considered the two activities to be comparable.  
  
“Well…yeah…I suppose. But it just seems a little…”  
  
“We’re not teenagers, waiting to see if we’ll get to third base. We’re adults who both want this. I am assuming that you do, in fact, want this?”  
  
Olivia fixed Alex with an incredulous expression. Could she actually doubt that?  
  
“Yes, I want it. Of course I want it. I’d just like it to be a little more…spontaneous than this.”  
  
Olivia immediately regretted her choice of words as Alex’s eyebrows shot up, a spark shining in her fiercely intelligent eyes.  
  
“Well then, how about instead of lunch, we have a little…spontaneity instead?”  
  
The sultry tone with which the words were delivered almost won Olivia over then and there, before she managed to snap back to the reality of what Alex was suggesting.  
  
“What? Here?” Olivia looked around at the decidedly busy office.  
  
Alex nodded, her smile growing at the Detective’s panicked response. Olivia leaned in closer, her voice almost a whisper.  
  
“Hey…I know we’ve joked about doing it on your desk…but  _my_  desk isn’t in a little room on its own with a lock on the door.”   
  
“You have a room here with a door that locks. And beds.”  
  
Olivia shook her head in disbelief.  
  
“You are not seriously suggesting that we have sex, now, in the  _crib_?”  
  
“It’s spontaneous and unplanned.”  
  
“It smells like sweaty cops in there.”  
  
“Maybe I like sweaty cops.”  
  
A frisson of arousal shot through Olivia’s body, her defences were weakening and Alex could see it. All it required was one more little push. She tilted her head to the side before asking.  
  
“Are you scared, Detective?”  
  
That did it. Olivia Benson wasn’t scared of anything. She pushed her chair back and stood, watching as surprise flitted across Alex’s face, just for a second. Olivia made an elaborate sweeping gesture with her arm.  
  
“After you, Ms Cabot.”  
  
They walked out of the squad-room casually. Once out of the door, Olivia grabbed Alex’s hand, quickly made sure that no-one was looking, and dragged her in the direction of the crib. Alex waited outside while Olivia checked that it was empty. She surmised that it was indeed empty when Olivia’s hand reached out and grabbed the lapel of her jacket and yanked her inside.  
  
After Alex was in the room, Olivia locked the door. She immediately found herself pressed back against it by a lithe, inquisitive body. Her lips were very quickly claimed in a hungry kiss. Olivia wrapped her arms around Alex, pulling their bodies closer, increasing both friction and the delightful frustration building inside them. Alex dragged her mouth away from the kiss, gasping for breath. Olivia’s mouth moved to Alex’s neck. Alex let her head roll to the side, giving Olivia easier access. Then she abruptly pushed Olivia back.  
  
“On the bed. Now.”  
  
Olivia raised her eyebrows at the order, but couldn’t deny the part of her that enjoyed being told what to do. She acquiesced and walked over to the first set of bunk-beds. She turned to look at Alex.  
  
“Top or bottom?”  
  
Alex’s smile quickly turned wicked and Olivia blushed at her unwitting double entendre. Alex stepped towards her.  
  
“Well, I think you should take the bottom…” she punctuated her sentence with a brisk shove, sending Olivia onto her backside on the uncomfortable mattress. “…and I’ll get on top.”  
  
Olivia’s breathing quickened as Alex climbed on top of her, straddling her waist. Olivia’s hands went to Alex’s hips as Alex tried to straighten up, but her head was touching the underside of the top bunk.  
  
“I can’t sit up properly.”  
  
“Then lie down.” Olivia said, reaching up behind Alex’s neck and drawing her down into a passionate kiss. Alex adjusted her position, stretching herself out along the length of Olivia’s body. Olivia’s hands roamed across Alex’s back, coming up to push her suit jacket off her shoulders. Alex’s fingers made quick work of the buttons of Olivia’s shirt. Olivia’s eyes drifted shut as Alex’s lips blazed a trail down her neck, a hot tongue dragging lazily across the tops of her breasts.  
  
She felt Alex’s hands brush her sides, her body instinctively lifted to allow them to slip underneath as Alex’s lips found her own once again. It soon became apparent that Alex was having a little trouble. With a soft growl she wrenched her lips from the kiss and urged Olivia to sit up a little more, trying to look over her shoulder where she was fumbling with the clasp on her bra.  
  
“What is it?” Olivia asked, breathlessly, her own hands roughly pulling Alex’s blouse out of her skirt.  
  
“I can’t…your bra is stuck.”  
  
Olivia paused and looked down.  
  
“Shit. Yeah, there’s a knack to that one.”  
  
“A knack?”  
  
“A perp shoved me one time, I landed on my back…the bra’s never been the same since. I think the catch is bent or something.”  
  
Alex let Olivia lie back down as she leaned over her on her elbows, her breath coming in short pants.  
  
“Well, why don’t you throw it out?”  
  
Olivia looked up at her in shock.  
  
“It’s my favourite one.”  
  
“It’s damaged.”  
  
“It’s comfortable.”  
  
“I’ll buy you another one, throw it out.”  
  
“I tend not to wear it if there’s a chance that somebody else is gonna be taking it off me.”  
  
Alex raised her eyebrows, a smug smile pulling at her lips.  
  
“Oh, so you  _plan_  for these things, do you?”  
  
Olivia rolled her eyes.  
  
“No. But I can usually tell when there’s a possibility of it happening. I’ve worn perfectly functioning underwear the last three times I’ve seen you. Getting dressed for work this morning, I didn’t really factor it in.”   
  
“Well, when you’re with someone as spontaneous as me you have to be alert at all times.”  
  
Olivia hmphd and reached behind her back, unhooking the problematic clasp, just as the doorknob turned. Both women froze in place. The knob turned another couple of times. Then the person knocked sharply on the door.  
  
“Hey, who’s in there?”  
  
‘Fin’ Olivia mouthed to Alex, before raising her voice to reply.  
  
“Fin, it’s Olivia, what’s up?”  
  
“Liv? Door’s locked.”  
  
“Uh…it is?”  
  
Alex looked at her and shook her head.  
  
“Yeah. Me and the beanpole drew the short straw for the stake-out tonight. Need to get me some shut-eye before then. Gonna open the door?”  
  
Alex scrambled off the bed, managing to knee Olivia in the stomach as she did so.  
  
“Just a minute!” Olivia called out, grimacing as she tried to stand up.  
  
Alex was trying to get some semblance of order back in her appearance while Olivia struggled to do her bra back up. Alex managed to tuck herself back in and get her jacket on before coming to stand behind Olivia, helping her with the catch. She leaned in close and whispered in Olivia’s ear.  
  
“I’ll bet my idea is looking a whole lot better now, isn’t it?”  
  
“I’d like to remind you, counsellor, that this was also your idea.”  
  
“Yes, but if you’d just agreed to the first one there would have been no need for this one and we wouldn’t be doing this right now. And when you get home tonight, throw this fucking bra out.”  
  
Another voice came drifting in from the corridor.  
  
“Awww, Fin, you didn’t have to wait to open the door for me, you’re such a gent.”  
  
“Door’s locked. Benson’s in there.”  
  
“Benson…but she was…”  
  
Alex and Olivia closed their eyes simultaneously as Munch immediately jumped to the right conclusion.  
  
“Olivia, is Alex in there with you?”  
  
Olivia turned to look questioningly at Alex, wondering what the ADA wanted her to say. Alex sighed.  
  
“Yes, John, I’m in here. We’re coming out now.”  
  
“Evidently!”  
  
Olivia rolled her eyes at Alex.  
  
“Nice choice of words, counsellor.”  
  
Alex shrugged and moved to the door. She turned the key and opened it to find Munch and Fin standing with their mouths open. Elliot was slightly behind them, he had obviously been talking to Cragen about a file, which was now forgotten in Cragen’s hand. Elliot looked worried, Cragen looked like he’d just heard something he didn’t want to hear. Alex looked back over her shoulder.  
  
“Are you coming to lunch or what?”  
  
Olivia nodded and they walked out of the room, Olivia pointedly ignored Munch but cast an apologetic glance at Cragen. As they exited the station house they heard distant rumblings. Munch calling Elliot a bastard for not telling them. Cragen repeating the words ‘Alex’ ‘Olivia’ and ‘The Crib’ incredulously. Olivia sighed, she was in for a long afternoon. Her heart lightened a little as she felt Alex’s hand slip into hers.  
  
“Well, look on the bright side, at least now you can tell Cragen why you need Friday night to remain undisturbed.”  
  
Olivia turned to her and smiled, gaining an equally bright smile in return.  
  
“Yeah, I guess I can.”  
  
\---  
  
At eight o’clock on Friday night, Olivia found herself standing at Alex’s door with a bottle of wine. The door opened and Alex greeted her with a kiss. She pulled away and took the wine from Olivia.  
  
“Come on in.”   
  
Alex stood aside to let Olivia enter. She closed the door as Olivia hung her jacket up. Alex put the bottle of wine on an ornamental table and stepped closer to Olivia.  
  
“Now, isn’t this far more civilised?”  
  
She reached forward and pulled Olivia’s sweater out slightly, peeking down into her cleavage. Olivia pulled away, laughing.  
  
“What the hell are you doing?”  
  
Alex moved in and wrapped her arms around Olivia’s neck.  
  
“Just making sure you’re not wearing that damn bra.”  
  
Their lips met briefly. Olivia lifted her nose into the air.  
  
“I don’t smell cooking.”  
  
Alex shook her head.  
  
“I can’t cook to save my life. I thought we might order pizza in. Afterwards.”  
  
Olivia grinned.  
  
“Sounds like a plan.”  
  
Alex stepped out of the embrace and took Olivia’s hand, leading her down the hallway toward her bedroom. Olivia paused as they reach the door, something occurring to her.  
  
“Oh, one thing Alex?”  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“Leave your glasses on.”  
  
Alex smiled and pulled Olivia into the room for an evening without interruption. And a night. And a morning after.


	4. Outside jurisdiction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Olivia take their first trip together.

_Pyjamas or no pyjamas?_  
  
That was the question Olivia was struggling with as she stood before a half-packed bag. She and Alex were heading off on a trip. Four blissfully undisturbed days and nights in a remote wilderness. Well, as remote as upstate New York got. After a moment’s consideration, she threw the pyjamas over her shoulder and onto the floor, a wicked grin spreading over her face. Pyjamas didn’t really factor into her plans for the weekend. Dipping down, she scooped up a few purchases she’d made from ‘Victoria’s Secret’ and tipped them into her bag. That was much more like it.  
  
Her cell phone rang, tearing her away from the rather naughty path her thoughts were headed down.  
  
“Benson.”  
  
“What are you packing?” Alex asked, not bothering to say hello.  
  
“Clothes.” Olivia smirked.  
  
“Ha ha. Which clothes? I’m not sure what I should be taking.”  
  
“You’re a big girl. Are you telling me you can’t dress yourself?”  
  
“Look, I’ve never been…camping…before.”  
  
Olivia sighed.  
  
“It’s not camping. We’re going to a cabin which has hot and cold running water, heating, air-conditioning, a full kit…”  
  
“Is it a hotel?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“Then it’s camping.”  
  
“Fine. Better pack your flashlight and a thermos in case you need to cross the treacherous terrain of the carpeted hallway on your way to the bathroom with the flushing toilet in the middle of the night.”  
  
“Stop being sarcastic and help me. I need to finish this packing.”  
  
“It’s hardly a big panic, Alex, it’s only seven o’clock. We’re not leaving until tomorrow morning. Even you can’t take that long to pick out clothes.”   
  
“Look, the sooner I get packed, the sooner I can be at your house and the sooner we can be sitting on your couch with a bottle of wine. There may even be snuggling involved.”  
  
Olivia weighed up the fun of teasing Alex further with the scenario Alex had described and quickly made up her mind.  
  
“Couple of pairs of jeans, some t-shirts, warm sweaters, a winter jacket, thick socks, boots, gloves, scarf and a hat.”  
  
“Right, got it. So…nothing of a…smarter nature?”  
  
“And what exactly are you planning to dress up for? There’s nothing near the place.”  
  
Olivia could practically  _hear_  Alex’s pout over the phone. She softened her voice before continuing.  
  
“Look, I won the coin-toss this time. Next time we go away, you can subject me to anything you want. City-breaks, cultural extravaganzas, Disneyland, whatever you want.”  
  
“I know, and I  _am_  looking forward to this weekend, really. I mean, you’re going to be there and that’s the important thing.”  
  
Olivia felt her cheeks grow warm at the off-hand compliment.  
  
“Indeed I will. And I promise to keep you entertained in the evenings.”  
  
“Now that is a promising promise.”  
  
“Get packed and get your ass over here and I might even give you a sneak preview.”  
  
“Yes ma’am. I’ll see you soon.”  
  
“See ya.”  
  
Olivia hung up the phone, laughing softly to herself. She loved Alex’s playful side. She usually kept it well hidden at work. So much so that she had developed quite a reputation as an ice-princess. That reputation had been chipped away at slightly since she’d embarked on her relationship with Olivia. But still, it pleased Olivia to know that she saw a special side of the ADA that few others did.   
  
They had been together for just over four months and Olivia had enjoyed every minute of it. Generally she had found relationships to be a bit of an inconvenience in the past. Something that had to be worked at, and usually weren’t worth the effort. But with Alex, it was easy. They made each other laugh, they both understood that the other had a private side and knew not to push, they just liked being together. They had managed to separate their work from their private life, for the most part. Working with a group of men meant that it wasn’t always possible. Their sex life tended to be a topic of wistful discussion in the squad room, but they knew it was all in fun. But even when they had screaming arguments over a case, they were still able to walk home at night, hand in hand.  
  
Olivia’s cell rang again, interrupting her reverie.  
  
“Benson.”  
  
“Hey Liv.”  
  
“Elliot? What’s happened?” Olivia immediately assumed the worst and envisioned her evening with Alex drifting away.  
  
“Huh? Nothing’s happened. Even if it had, you’re on vacation, it wouldn’t be your problem.”  
  
Olivia let out a relieved breath.  
  
“OK, so why are you calling me at seven o’clock in the evening on my vacation if there isn’t a major crisis?”  
  
“What? I can’t call my buddy now? I just called to wish you luck.”  
  
“Luck? Why the hell would I need luck? I’m going away for a relaxing few days with my girlfriend.”  
  
“Oh, so we’re calling her your giiiiiiiiirlfriend now?”  
  
“She’s always been my girlfriend. I just don’t say it very much because when I do, all you idiots go ‘oooooooooooooh, giiiiiiiiiirlfriend’, like a bunch of nine-year olds.”  
  
“Yeah, well, anyway…first trip away with your giiiiiiirlfriend, potential to be stressful.”  
  
“Uh huh. Walks in the woods, curling up in front of a real fire, being woken up in the morning by baby deer coming to the bedroom window, my blood pressure is shooting up even thinking about it.”  
  
“OK, firstly, you never told me you were vacationing in a Disney movie, and secondly, going away together is stressful, don’t kid yourself.”  
  
“I’m sure we’ll be fine, Elliot. We  _have_  stayed over together before you know. We know each other pretty well.”  
  
“Kathy and I were married with a kid when we took our first trip together. By the time it was over we were nearly divorced.”  
  
“Yeah , but taking a kid along has got to…”  
  
“We left the kid with Kathy’s mother.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
“But I’m sure you and Alex will be fine.”  
  
“Yeah…” A hint of uncertainty had crept into her voice.  
  
“Especially if you wear that stuff in the ‘Victoria’s Secret’ bag that was on your desk the other day.”  
  
“What? You looked in it?” Olivia shouted, outraged.  
  
“Hey! I’m a detective, I’m inquisitive by nature. “  
  
“I’ll give you inquisitive you…” The beeps signalling an incoming call stopped Olivia’s threat. “I have to go, I got another call, besides, I have a date with a hot blonde tonight.”  
  
“Lucky you. Does Alex know?”  
  
“Goodbye, wiseass.”  
  
“Seriously, Liv, have a great time.”  
  
“We will. See ya.”  
  
She pressed the button to answer the other line.  
  
“Benson.”  
  
“So…when you said ‘boots’ earlier…you meant…”  
  
“Nothing with heels.”  
  
“Right, no heels. And would you happen to have a spare pair of…”   
  
“I’ll put them in my bag for you.”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
“So, are you packed, apart from the boots?”  
  
“Very nearly. I won’t be long, I promise.”  
  
“Good. My couch feels way too big when you’re not here.”  
  
Olivia closed her eyes and grimaced at how corny that sounded. Alex had a way of bringing out a degree of schmaltz in her that Olivia had not known she possessed. When Alex replied, there was a smile in her voice.  
  
“You know, Detective, sometimes you are so adorable it hurts.”  
  
“Yeah, well, don’t go spreading it around.”  
  
“I have no intention of that. I want to keep you all to myself.”  
  
“You already got me.”  
  
“And I am very grateful for that fact. I’ll see you soon, sweetie.”  
  
“Can’t wait.”  
  
She hung up, still blushing slightly from the involuntary saccharin that seemed to spew forth from her mouth whenever she was around Alex. She busied herself with finishing up her own packing and then tidying up the mess that seemed to have developed in her bedroom during the process of the packing. She went into the living room and lit a few candles. She opened a bottle of red wine to let it breath and placed two glasses alongside it on the coffee table. Then she sat down on the couch to wait. The phone rang. Again. She checked the ID. Alex. She picked up.  
  
“You had better be in a cab.”  
  
“I am, I am! All packed up and ready to go. I just called to see what you were wearing.”  
  
Olivia scrunched up her forehead, confused.  
  
“Tomorrow? For the drive up?”  
  
“No. Now.” Alex’s voice turned low and husky. “Tell me what you’re wearing right now.”  
  
Olivia smiled.  
  
\---  
  
The following morning, Olivia awoke slowly, her mind creeping reluctantly towards consciousness. She gradually became aware that her nose was being tickled by the head of sweet smelling hair it was buried in. And that her arm appeared to have fallen off at some point during the night. Her eyes shot open. She strained to see over Alex’s head and sighed in relief when she saw that her arm was still attached to her body, albeit completely numb from being underneath Alex’s dead weight for a number of hours. She tried to ease it out, gently, slightly worried about the complete lack of sensation in the limb. It was no use, Alex wasn’t budging. She shook her shoulder.  
  
“Alex? Honey, c’mon, you need to move.”  
  
Alex made a ‘mmmph’ sound, but didn’t shift.  
  
“Alex, you really need to get off my arm.”  
  
“Don’t wanna.” Alex mumbled, snuggling closer to Olivia and wrapping her arms around her waist.   
  
Olivia used the slight movement to get her arm out. The offending limb came alive all at once with painful pin-pricks as blood flooded back into thirsty capillaries. Olivia sat up with a gasp, holding her arm tightly, roughly dislodging Alex from her shoulder. Alex jerked awake, sitting up alongside Olivia, blinking.  
  
“Wha…what the hell?”  
  
“My arm is asleep.”  
  
Alex looked at Olivia through bleary eyes.  
  
“Lucky arm,” she grumbled, lying back down and pulling the covers up around her.  
  
Olivia continued to rub her arm as the pain started to subside, returning to normal. She glanced across at the alarm clock on Alex’s side of the bed.  
  
“Shit!!!”  
  
Alex sat up again, startled by Olivia’s exclamation.  
  
“Now what is it?” she demanded.  
  
“We overslept! I was planning to be on the road at least three hours ago!”  
  
Alex looked at the clock over her shoulder and turned to Olivia with an incredulous expression.  
  
“It’s eleven a.m. You planned to be on the road at eight in the morning? On vacation?”  
  
Olivia was up and heading to the bathroom.  
  
“Yes, to miss the traffic in the city and to make sure we get up there before dark. It is November, you know. And this is all your fault.”  
  
“My fault?” Alex was now talking to the bathroom door.  
  
“Yes,” Olivia called back, shouting over the running of the shower. “I wanted an early night.”  
  
“We had an early night!”  
  
“It doesn’t count as an early night if you don’t actually go to sleep.” Olivia was talking around her toothbrush, garbling the response slightly.  
  
“I didn’t hear any complaints at the time.” Alex said, lying back down on the bed with her arms behind her head.  
  
Olivia peeked her head around the door, toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. She was grinning.  
  
“No…no you didn’t. Now get up and get moving. I want to be out that door in thirty minutes!”  
  
\---  
  
Olivia sighed contentedly, leaning back in her seat, one hand on the wheel. The other was resting on Alex’s thigh. Driving in New York City was hell, but out of the city, on the open road, it was one of Olivia’s favourite pastimes. She could feel the stress draining out of her body with each mile that passed by. The winter sunshine was still strong through the windshield, filling the car with a comforting warmth.  
  
“Liv?”  
  
Olivia turned to face Alex, an easy smile on her face.  
  
“Mmmmhmmm?” she asked, squeezing Alex’s thigh gently.  
  
“I have to pee.”  
  
The smile slowly faded.  
  
“What?” she snapped, harsher than she had meant.  
  
Alex wasn’t intimidated by the Bad Cop Persona, she stared Olivia down and stated again.  
  
“I have to pee, we need to stop at the next rest-stop.”  
  
“Alex! I told you to go before we left! We’ve just left for Christ’s sake!”  
  
“I did go before we left!” Alex retorted, “And I need to go again. I’m so sorry if my bladder isn’t in keeping with your timetable. And you may not have noticed, considering all the cursing and hand gestures you were indulging in before we got out of the city, but we have actually been in the car for a couple of hours.”  
  
Olivia sighed again, not quite so contentedly.  
  
“Look, I’ll just pull over to the side of the road and you can go…”  
  
“No you will not pull over to the side of the road! If you think I’m peeing outdoors you’ve got another thing coming!” Alex folded her arms over her chest. “We will go at the next rest-stop. We need to get something to eat anyway.”  
  
“Oh no, if we stop we’re stopping for a bathroom break and that’s it. We’re already way behind schedule as it is.”  
  
“So? We’re to starve until we get there, are we? We didn’t have breakfast, we’re sure as hell not missing lunch.”  
  
“Fine. We can pick something up and eat it in the car.” Olivia conceded.  
  
“Fine.”  
  
“Well…fine.”  
  
Olivia faced forward, her eyebrows down, both hands gripping the steering wheel. Maybe she should have listened to Elliot.  
  
\---  
  
“What are you doing?” Olivia asked, watching as Alex fiddled with the radio.  
  
“Changing the station.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Because I can’t stand that soft-rock shit any longer.”  
  
“I like that station.”  
  
“Well, you’ve had it on for hours. My turn.”  
  
“But I’m driving.”  
  
“Is this car a dictatorship, detective?”  
  
“Well…I guess not…”  
  
“Good . My turn.”  
  
Alex finally found a station she seemed happy with and sat back in her seat. Olivia drove for a few minutes in silence before she spoke up.  
  
“Alex?”  
  
“Uh huh?”  
  
“Is that country music?”  
  
“Yes.” The reply was quick and defensive, daring Olivia to say more.  
  
“Oh.”  
  
\---  
  
Olivia glanced to the side. Even in the dark, she could see that Alex was struggling not to laugh. The blonde’s lips were pressed together tightly, the sides down-turned slightly, every few seconds her shoulders would shake a little. It was driving Olivia crazy.  
  
“I really don’t see what’s so amusing about this.”  
  
“I’m not laughing.”  
  
“Yes you are.”  
  
“No, I’m not.” The mirth in Alex’s voice was unmistakable, even as she tried to hide it.  
  
“OK, so you’re not laughing out loud, but you do think it’s funny that we’re driving around, in the dark, completely and utterly lost.”  
  
“I’m just glad you’ve finally admitted that we’re lost.”  
  
Olivia fumed, silently. Alex watched her for a few seconds. But she really couldn’t resist pushing that little bit further.  
  
“C’mon, Liv…you don’t think it’s just a little bit funny that you forgot to bring the map?”  
  
“No, Alex, I don’t. Strangely, being lost in the dark in an area that seems to be out of the range of cellphones when we’re running seriously low on gas isn’t something that really tickles me. And it’s your fault that we don’t have the map.”  
  
“It is not my fault! I’ve never even seen the damn map. You took all the responsibility for that side of things.”  
  
“Yep, and if you hadn’t made me oversleep, then distracted me in the shower, I wouldn’t have left it on the coffee table.”  
  
“Poor argument, Detective. If you were really prepared and organised, you would have packed it last night before me and my  _distractions_  came over.”  
  
“Fine! It’s all my fault, are you satisfied?”  
  
Alex shrugged and looked out the window at the darkness.  
  
“As long as you’re aware it’s not mine,” she mumbled.  
  
The continued in silence for another few miles, Olivia’s eyes darting from the road to the gas gauge, which was far too near ‘Empty’ for her liking. They hadn’t passed anything that looked like a habitation in hours. Darkness had fallen earlier than Olivia had expected, and without the map, for all she knew they’d been driving in circles since then. She had to make a decision. And she was pretty sure that Alex wasn’t going to like it.  
  
“We’re going to have to stop.”  
  
Alex spun around to face her, alarmed.  
  
“What? What do you mean stop?”  
  
“I mean, we’re going to have to stop for the night. We can’t go on using up gas like this and for all I know we could be driving further and further from civilisation. We’ll stay here for the night and when it gets light, I can get my bearings.”  
  
Alex looked completely panicked.  
  
“You mean…we’re going to sleep in the car, in the middle of nowhere? We’ll freeze to death!”  
  
“I’ve got blankets in the trunk, we can put on more clothes and get in the backseat to share body-heat.”  
  
“Oh God! Olivia, we work in the sex crimes unit…this is  _exactly_  how people end up getting raped and murdered and we have to deal with them…”  
  
Olivia drew the car to a stop by the side of the road and turned off the engine.  
  
“Well, if you have any better ideas I would absolutely love to hear them, Alex. When was the last time we passed a car? Any rapist out here is gonna have pretty slim-pickings. We’ll lock the doors and I can assure you that I won’t sleep a wink. Plus, I’ve got a big gun.”  
  
Alex understood that it took a lot for Olivia to admit defeat in this way and tried to smile.  
  
“Size doesn’t matter, Detective.”  
  
“Only people with little guns say that.” Olivia winked.  
  
Alex stayed in the car while Olivia got out and gathered blankets and jackets and socks from the trunk. When she got back in, Alex was in the backseat. Olivia climbed in beside her and they awkwardly got into the extra clothes before attempting to find a comfortable position to lie in. They finally settled down, Alex sitting between Olivia’s legs and lying back against her while Olivia leaned on the door, the handle sticking painfully into her back  
  
“We are so swapping places at some point.”  
  
Alex didn’t reply.  
  
“Alex?”  
  
“I’m going to ask you a question and you’re not allowed to laugh, OK?”  
  
“Uh…OK.” Olivia hated being told that, already she wanted to laugh.  
  
“Are there…any…things…animals out there that could…hurt us?”  
  
“Animals?” Olivia enquired, lightly.  
  
“Bears, Olivia, are there any fucking bears out there? I’m not the outdoorsy type and I have no idea if there are bears out there. We’re can’t be all that far from Canada.” The lawyer snippily replied, well aware that Olivia was trying not to laugh.  
  
“Well, I don’t think so, but I promise that I’ll protect you from any that do wander down here, Goldilocks.”  
  
“That’s reassuring…because I have to pee again.”  
  
Olivia dropped her forehead down to rest on Alex’s head.  
  
“Well baby, I don’t think you’re going to be able to avoid the great outdoors this time.”  
  
“I am well aware of that. And don’t think I’m too thrilled about it.”  
  
\---  
  
They returned to the car, Olivia doing her best to hide the smirk on her face, Alex to hide the embarrassment reddening her cheeks. Once they were back in and huddled under the blankets, Olivia felt it necessary to break the silence.  
  
“So…you’re really getting a taste of ‘camping’ now, huh.”  
  
“Can we not ever discuss this again? It wasn’t one of my finer moments and I’d rather forget about it if you don’t mind.”  
  
They lay in silence for a while, Olivia tightening her hold on Alex, mostly to keep her from falling off the narrow seat. Again, it was Olivia who felt the need to speak first.  
  
“I was just thinking though, how many ADA’s have I seen run shrieking through the woods with no pants on? I’m pretty sure it’s just the one.”  
  
Alex sat up and turned a murderous glare on Olivia.  
  
“Look, there was a snake, I’m sure of it, something moved by my foot.”  
  
“I never said there wasn’t…just made for a pretty unusual spectacle, that’s all.”  
  
Alex huffed indignantly.  
  
“Unusual? This whole trip has been  _unusual_ , Olivia. Never in my life have I had to pack a suitcase that didn’t involve some kind of formal evening wear or a single pair of heels. And I certainly have never had to relieve myself outside. Nor have I had the pleasure of sleeping in the backseat of a car in the wilderness. Believe me, if I didn’t fucking love you so much, I wouldn’t be here!”  
  
Alex froze when she realised what she’d said. Olivia had a similar reaction, but managed to get her vocal chords to work, just to clarify what she’d heard.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Huh?” Alex attempted to play dumb. Olivia didn’t let her away with it.  
  
“What did you just say?”  
  
“I uh…I thought you knew…”  
  
“Well…”  
  
“I mean…I assumed that you felt…about me…” Alex fumbled for the words.  
  
“Oh, I do! Completely.” Olivia reassured her.  
  
Alex dropped her face into her hands and chuckled.  
  
“You know, I didn’t plan for the first time I said that to be in a raised voice or to include the word ‘fucking’. Or to be in the backseat of a car.”  
  
Olivia smiled and pulled Alex back towards her until Alex’s head was resting on her shoulder.  
  
“No? So what did your plans include, if not that?”  
  
“Oh I don’t know. Something traditional? Dinner, candlelight, roses?”  
  
Olivia leaned in and kissed Alex gently on the lips. She pulled back slightly to whisper.  
  
“I think this is much more interesting. Just think of what we can tell the grandkids.  _‘Grammy Liv, how did you know that Grammy Lex was the one you were gonna spend the rest of your life with?’ ‘Well, as-yet-unnamed-grandchild, I think it was probably when she told me that she fucking loved me in the backseat of my car after she’d run through the woods naked…good times, good times’_ ”  
  
Alex raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
“Nobody calls me Lex, and nobody will ever call me Lex, let’s get that clear now.”  
  
“Loud and clear, Alexandra.” Olivia’s eyes turned serious. “I really am sorry that our trip turned out this way. I didn’t mean for…”  
  
Alex placed a gentle finger on Olivia’s lips to stop her talking.  
  
“And here I was thinking that this was a set up to get me in the back of your car,” she joked. “Liv, I already told you, the only part of this trip that I care about is that I take it with you. This situation, while not being entirely what I’d envisaged, is fine because I’m here with you. In the morning we can find this cabin and you can show me how you wanted it to be. Until then, I’ll be happy just to be with you. OK?”  
  
She finished her sentence with a kiss. Olivia smiled at the sentiment.  
  
“C’mon, we should try and get some rest at least,” Olivia said, easing back down against the door. Alex lay back down with her, her head on Olivia’s chest.  
  
“Alex?”  
  
“Mmmhmm?”  
  
“I fucking love you too.”  
  
“We’re so romantic.”  
  
“That we are, babe, that we are.”  
  
\---  
  
They watched in silence as the first shards of cold, blue light appeared over the top of far-off hills. Slowly their surroundings turned from vague outlines into recognisable shapes. The light moved surely over the landscape to show off its beauty in a way that the rest of the day could not. Dawn in the wilderness was something to behold.  
  
Alex sat up abruptly and leaned forward, between the two front seats.  
  
“Liv…can you read what it says on that sign?”  
  
Olivia sat up behind her, looking in the same direction and squinting to make out the writing on the distant sign. Her stomach dropped.  
  
“Fuck!”  
  
“Is it…?” Alex didn’t really want to finish her question, fearing she knew the answer already.  
  
“Yes, that’s the place. Fucking fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!!!”  
  
Alex felt that it probably wasn’t the best time to laugh. But she couldn’t help it. It was out of her mouth before she could stop it and very quickly she was crying with laughter. Olivia watched the display, annoyed at first, but the laughter was contagious and before long she joined in, just as heartily.  
  
“So…if we had…driven for another…two minutes…” Alex gasped out, between laughs.  
  
“We woulda been there last night.” Olivia confirmed, wiping her eyes.  
  
Alex wrapped her arms around Olivia’s neck.  
  
“Oh well, that just means that we don’t have to drive far to find it and you have the whole day to show me the wonders of the countryside.”  
  
Olivia grinned.  
  
“You’re not mad that you had to spend the night under the stars?”  
  
Alex shrugged.  
  
“There were…certain revelations that made it worthwhile.”  
  
“I agree completely, the sight of your ass flying past me in those woods will stay with me forever.”  
  
Alex slapped her shoulder lightly.  
  
“C’mon, you. Get into that driver’s seat. Let’s go camping.”  
  
\---  
  
Olivia sighed as she looked at the pile of paperwork sitting waiting for her on her desk. The squad room was its usual, bustling, self. It was almost enough to make her feel like she’d never been away. Elliot approached with two cups of steaming coffee, she accepted one gratefully.  
  
“So, you survived your first weekend away together unscathed, huh?”  
  
Olivia cocked an eyebrow at him.  
  
“Of course, didn’t I tell you we would be fine?”  
  
He nodded.  
  
“You sure did. So…it wasn’t the slightest bit stressful? No unexpected glitches? Screaming arguments over the reading of the map? Nothin’?”  
  
Olivia’s attention was drawn away from Elliot as Alex entered the room. She graced Olivia with a dazzling smile on her way to Cragen’s office. Olivia turned back to Elliot.  
  
“Glitches? Nope. Not a one.”  
  
Elliot sat back in his seat to process that. He whistled.  
  
“Really? Shit, Liv, must be love.”  
  
She smiled and winked at him.  
  
“Yep, I guess it must be.”


End file.
